Inheritance
by kataraas
Summary: "The truth. It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and therefore must be treated with caution."
1. Prologue

**_Inheritance_**

**Prologue**

**A New Life**

New Mexico. My cheek rested against the window of the airplane as I stared at what was outside, without really seeing anything. Rather, I was lost to my own thoughts, and had been throughout the flight. My thoughts had been miles away, in New York, with my old friends and my parents. My thoughts had been focosed on anywhere but the state the plane had just touched down on.

My thoughts had been anything _but_ New Mexico: the place I was now moving to.

The plane had stopped and manoeuvred through the airport, and we were now able to disembark. It was amazing how much quieter it was now that the engines had stopped running. I had been listening to music before but had to crank it up really high to hear it, and in the end I just put my iPod away so I wouldn't damage my ears.

I closed the book in my lap and placed it back inside my bag with utmost care. It was one of my Harry Potter books, and I didn't want to ruin it. I loved that series above all others I had read - they really meant a lot to me, especially since it had been such a large part of my childhood.

The people next to me took quite some time geting their things together. I sighed but waited patiently and, once they were finished, shuffled my way out of the seats and into the aisle.

Thanks to the couple beside me, I was one of the last to get off the plane.

Inside the airport it was crisp and clean, predominantly white. I swallowed as I entered it and glanced around at the numerous people all smiling and greeting each other with hugs and kisses, hurrying to their next destination, or waiting patiently for their next flight.

I had no idea what I neede to do next.

I knew who I was supposed to meet: his name was Erik Selvig. However, I hadn't seen him since I was ten.

He was the person I was going to live with.

My parents had died recently in a car crash. It had only been a week ago, and after the funeral I was flown over to New Mexico to live with Erik Selvig, my designated guardian, until I was old enough to live on my own. He and my parents had worked together once, apparently.

To say I was shattered about my parent's deaths would be an understatement. I had loved them - they'd been good people. A bit reserved and detatched from me because of work, perhaps, but still. I had loved them both a lot.

I bit my lip as I searched from Erik. I didn't even remember what he looked like. How was I supposed to find him? Did he even _remember_ me?

After a search, I eventually I saw a man standing in the crowd of people waiting to greet loved ones, holding a sign that had my name spelt across it. He looked nice, with bright eyes and a kindly face. My nervs settled a little as I inhaled deeply and made my way over to him. His eyes lit up with recognition once he saw me.

"Delaney!" he greeted, once I was within ear range.

I squeezed my way past a reuinted family and stopped in front of him. I bit my lip as I looked up at him, small butterflies in my stomach. "Hi, Erik," I greeted, my voice quiet. I hadn't known what to call him, so had just settled on Erik. Dad was far from comfortable for me to use, and it didn't sound right to call the person I was going to live with 'Mr. Selvig.'

"How are you?" Erik asked. He looked me over quickly, as though checking for any physical ailments.

I shrugged. My gaze travelled down to the floor and locked on my shoes, which were now covered in a light coating of dust. "I'm alright, I guess."

A small silence fell between us.

"I'm truly sorry about your parents," he said quietly, sincerely. "They were good friends - and good people."

I bit my lip at this, but squared my shoulders and nodded once in acknowledgement. "Thanks."

As though sensing my discomfort with the topic, he changed the subject quickly. "Well, let's not just stand here." He place a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Let's get you home."

_Home_.

I thought this over as we collected my suitcase. I would call this place home for the next few years of my life, until I was old enough to live on my own. It would be hard. I was used to the bustling city life of New York, where you heard the sounds of traffic, the streets were busy, and shops were just about everywhere. The town in New Mexico I was moving to was tiny - I had researched it. There were no links to the busy city life I had lead in New York over here. I was basically starting my life again from scratch.

_I hope I can get through this_, I thought as I followed Erik out of the airport. My suitcase dragged behind me. _Now you won't be so distracted by city life, you can devote more time to science, and do some more experiments._

_And, maybe you can start getting this new freakish ability under control..._

I shoved that thought right to the side. I had already lost my parents, I didn't want to think about _that_ thing as well.

It was the height of summer, and I felt it the minute we left the air-conditioned airport and walked outside. The air was still, which made it worse. I had never handled the heat well: I was more of a winter person.

Erik's car was nearby. I loaded my suitcase into the back and clambered into the passenger seat, Erik beside me in the driver's seat. I had my iPod in my pocket so, when the car started, I placed one earphone in and started the music.

My head leaned against the cool glass window and I closed my eyes partially, time only passing to me through different songs. I lost myself to the music, and the streets and the world outside passed in a blur.

"You're quiet," Erik noted suddenly, driving me from my thoughts.

I blinked and sat up. I paused the song I currently had playing and glanced down at the hands I had intertwined in my lap, my shoulders shrugging lightly. "I don't know what to say," I muttered.

Erik and I had only ever met a few times before, back when I was little. Now I was fifteen, and my parents were gone. I was struggling to think of what I might have to talk to Erik about. I didn't even know where to start. What did Erik like? Did we have any common interests at all?

I had no idea.

"You know what, let's make a detour before we arrive at my place," Erik said. He flicked on the indicator and made an abrupt turn. I gasped as we turned sharply, only just having made the turning point.

"And where's that?" I asked breathlessly, leaning back in my seat.

Erik grinned.

"Someone I think you'll be good friends with."

The doorbell rang, a soft chiming sound. Erik stood back and looked expectantly at the door we now stood in front.

I looked up at the house and swallowed. I had no idea why Erik had made the detour to this place. He hadn't explained to me why he brought me here, so I was still clueless in that regard.

I just hoped that whoever it was I was about to meet would be nice.

The door opened. I glanced back down to see a woman step outside, a woman with thick brown hair and beautiful chocolate-coloured eyes.

"Erik!" the woman gasped. "What a pleasant surprise to see you here!"

Erik smiled warmly. "It's nice to see you again, Laura," he said, as they met in a brief hug.

I hovered awkwardly behind them. Is this the person Erik wanted me to meet, by any chance? I adjusted my glasses nervously. I didn't know how this was supposed to help me.

Laura's attention was diverted soon to me, and her eyes widened slightly. "Who's this?" she asked, looking back at Erik.

"Ah, this is Delaney Esquivel." Erik wrapped an arm around my shoulder as he spoke. "She's staying with me now her parents have passed."

Laura looked at me, her brown eyes filled with sympathy. "I'm so sorry, dear," she said softly. I shifted uncomfortably. I didn't like how people talked to me after they had learnt my parents were dead. They treated me as though I was fragile and easily broken, which I most certainly wasn't. "Come in. I'm sure Jane would love someone else to talk to. Jane!" Laura called this as we entered the inside of the house. "Can you come down, please?"

I waited in the hallway with Erik and Laura. My eyes scanned the few pictures on the wall as I waited, my gaze lingering on neither of them for too long.

Soon we heard the sound of a door opening, and feet clattering down the stairs. Before long another girl was before us. I blinked. She looked like a miniature version of her mother, with the same thick brown hair and dark eyes. They might as well have been sisters.

"What is it, Mum?" the girl, who I presumed to be Jane, asked. She looked to be around my age.

Laura gestured to me. "Jane, this is Delaney Esquivel. She's just moved in to live with Erik. Would you mind showing her around and help her settle in?"

"No problem!" Jane chirped. She beckoned me to follow. "Come in, Delaney. I'm Jane Foster."

I had no choice but to follow her. My feet dragged slightly as I followed her through the house. We passed a man in the kitchen I presumed was Jane's father.

"Where did you live before?" Jane asked. She led me to the set of stairs.

"New York," I responded quietly. I climbed up behind her.

"Really? It must be strange, coming to live in such a small town after that!"

I looked away, almost tripping on the stairs as I did so. "I'll get used to it."

We trekked up the last stair and stepped on to the floor above. We turned right, and Jane stopped at the first door she came to.

"This is my room," Jane said. She opened the door, a light creak sounding as she did so. After the door was fully opened she wandered inside, with me close behind her.

"Wow..." I breathed. I ambled deeper into the room, marvelling at everything that was before me. "This stuff is amazing."

It was. In short, this was any science lover's heaven. The machines in here, and the telescope... It was better then being in the labs at my old school.

"I built most of it myself," Jane said. She sounded rather proud.

I blanched, and my heart skipped a beat. She built this? It looks store bought! I didn't blame her for sounding proud. To have built all of this stuff from scratch...

"Do you like science, by any chance?" she asked.

I nodded. "I love it. It's my best subject," I said. I felt something small burn bright inside of me. I always came to life whenever the subject turned to science. Aside from Harry Potter, science was my greatest love. My friends had found it weird, but I hadn't let that bother me. "Chemistry and physics, especially."

I glanced back at Jane, who still stood in the doorway. A large grin spread across her face as I spoke.

"Delaney Esquivel, I have a feeling that you and I are going to get along just fine."

-  
**hello all. this isn't exactly a new story, but, because of a split second of abent-mindedness, my original 42 chapters of Inheritance have been deleted. i can't tell you how frustrated and angry i am at myself at the moment, especially since i deleted all my drafts. i have to rewrite this from scratch.**

**but that means improvements to the story and better writing. there's always a bright side, no matter how small it may be. also, this will be told in first person. i find i am more comfortable wit that point of view.**

**i'm going to try and update this as often as possible so i can start the sequel soon. i don't blame you if i lose followers because of this and if you're frustrated for having to wait that much longer for the sequel. i cannot tell you all how sorry i am. if i could, i'd rewind time so i could take one second longer to check i was deleting a story draft and not an actually story before deleting. **

**once again, i'm sorry. and, if you're rereading this, i truly appreciate it. i love you guys and am so grateful for all your support. **


	2. 1 - Unexpected Discovery

**_nheritance_**

**Chapter One**

**Unexpected Discovery**

\- Ten Years Later -

I sighed, nestling myself further back into the seat. If I hadn't been at the coffee shop, I would have folded my legs beneath me and continued to read in a curled-up position. But, since I wasn't at home but in public, I settled to read with my elbows propped on the table and my book in level with my eyes.

There was a low buzz of noise in the background; the whir of the coffee machine, the low chatter of the other customers. But, by being isolated in the corner and all my focus being directed at my book, it was pleasant background noise. This was despite the voices being louder than usual. There were more people in here than I was used it; it was winter, and many people preferred to stay indoors with a nice cup of Emma's famous coffee than be outside.

Also, this coffee shop was just so nice and cosy. It was rather popular in this small town, and had been since the day it had opened. Even today, I claimed that the coffee shop was half of the reason I decided to stay in New Mexico with Erik and Jane.

Yes, I was still in New Mexico. It had been ten years since I had arrived, my stubborn fifteen-year-old self sure that I would hate life here after living in New York for so long.

But my fifteen-year-old self had been ignorant about a great many things.

I hadn't realised that Erik and I would come to forge such a bond that I considered him my second father. I hadn't realised that I'd find a true friend in Jane, who encouraged my love for science instead of laughing at it. I hadn't realised that, after living in New York, New Mexico was a wonderful place to wind down and change lifestyle. You didn't have to be busy to be happy, and it gave me more time to pursue more of my favourite things.

So when I had become old enough to live on my own, I had surprised everyone by claiming I was staying. Even after Erik had left for work purposes, Jane and I had stayed. We continued to work on our science projects and experiments and just enjoyed our time with one another. Even though this meant that Jane, her intern and I now shared a caravan as temporary living space for the purpose of saving money, I didn't care. I just couldn't be _happier_. And besides, life in the caravan was fun. Messy, but fun.

The door to the shop opened, bringing with it the soft chime of bells and a gust of cool wind. I squeaked as the wind moved the pages of my book, causing me to lose my page. I deflated slightly. I hated losing my place.

I didn't time much time to dwell on this, however, for a bright voice had called out, "Delaney!"

I recognised that voice at once. I looked up to see Jane had entered the shop was was making her way toward me, her intern, Darcy, trailing behind her.

I grinned and waved to Jane as she made her way over. You would never have guessed Jane was older than me by a year. People sometimes commented that we looked like sisters.

Well, I did consider Jane to be my sister in all but blood, but I didn't think we looked _that_ similar. People must have just gotten used to seeing the two of us side-by-side.

"Jane, Darcy!" I greeted warmly, once they were near enough for me to be heard over the low hum of noise. They pulled up chairs and sat opposite me.

"Are you ready for tonight?" Jane asked at once.

I grinned at the reminder. _Does she even need to ask?_ "I most definitely am. If we managed to get Erik to come down here, we must be on to something. He couldn't come down here for nothing."

Though Erik had been working away, Jane and I had managed to coax him back to New Mexico with talk of our current investigation. We had been working on it for months and, so far, we'd produced some really promising, intriguing results. It had been enough to convince Erik to come back from the city to help us out, even if we did have to do a lot of convincing.

Jane pursed her lips. "Let's hope we don't disappoint."

"Hopefully we don't," Darcy muttered. While Jane leaned forward, Darcy lounged back in her chair. Her phone was out and it looked like she was texting someone.

I had no idea why Darcy had signed up for the internship Jane had offered at the start of the year, since she didn't seem particularly interested in science. She didn't even _study_ this sort of science. She was only here for the extra college credit.

Jane looked a little agitated at Darcy words. I sighed and leaned over, placing a comforting hand on her arm. "Relax, Jane," I soothed. "Everything will be fine."

"It's just..." Jane blew out heavily through her nostrils. "This is huge. If we can prove this..."

"I know, Jane." I sent a small smile her way. "I've been with you throughout all of this, for the last ten years I've been here."

"I've been here for the past year," Darcy commented, her eyes still glued to her phone.

Jane rolled her eyes. "That's just a _little_ less than ten years."

"You haven't even been that invested in this!" I pointed out.

"I help out."

"By running errands, getting equipment."

"Shame you won't get us chocolate when we want it," I chuckled. I leaned back slightly in my chair, a smile stretching across my face. "It wold be nice if you could get me chocolate right now."

It was as though some sudden change had just overcome Darcy. She sat up straighter, the bored expression wiped from her face. She pocketed her phone and stood up, nodding. The movement looked slightly robotic, as though she had been programmed to do it. "Sure," she said, already making her way out from behind her chair. "I'm on it."

I froze, watching Darcy go, striving through the coffee shop as though she was on some important business. As soon as she was out of sight I moaned, having realised what had just happened.

"Damn!" I hissed. I buried my face in the fabric of my sleeves. "I did it again!"

This happened, sometimes. It had started happening two weeks before my parents died. It had been small things at first. I'd joke about wanting something, and before I knew it someone was off getting it for me. And the thing was: they wouldn't stop until they completed the task. I hadn't told my parents about it, scared that they would take me to a hospital or something. But I thought that perhaps they suspected something, for I'd caught them whispering when I came into a room, at which time they'd promptly cease to talk.

And, it had only grown stronger the older I became and the more I used it. Teachers gave me extended dates on projects when I joked about needing a little more time. No matter what I might ask for was given to me. It came to the point where I became silent in class, scared that my next words might trigger someone to do something again.

If I knew how to control it, I would stop myself from using it. But I didn't even _understand_ what this power was, therefore I had no clue how to start going about controlling it. Jane and Erik knew: I had accidentally used it on them a few times. I'd apologised profusely afterward and offered explanation, but fortunately they seemed untroubled by it. Instead of pushing themselves away, they were kind and supportive.

I was so lucky to have such wonderful people in my life.

"Delaney?" Jane's gentle voice brought me back from my thoughts. A soft, warm hand was placed over my own. "Are you okay?"

"No," I moaned. "It's just... ugh! It's so _uncontrollable_!"

"Don't worry about it. You just got Darcy to go buy chocolate. It could've been a lot worse."

"Yeah..." I flushed, recalling a few instances that were far, far worse than getting someone to buy me chocolate. Those were instances I wished I could forget.

Slowly, I pushed myself up into a seating position. I glanced around quickly, frightened that someone might have witnessed what had just happened. Fortunately it didn't look that way, and my shoulders lost their tension.

That was what I was paranoid about: people suspecting me, looking at me as though I was some sort of freak.

I just wondered what had triggered this, and why I could do this but no one else. I hadn't had a serum injected into me like Captain America, or had my cells infused with gamma radiation like Bruce Banner.

It made me more than curious about what exactly had happened to me to make me end up this way.

"Ah Delaney!" The warm, slightly withered voice brought a smile to my face. "And Jane!" the speaker continued. "How are you all today?"

I grinned and twisted around in my seat, to see a face with wrinkles and kindly, dark eyes. "Emma!" I greeted warmly.

Emma Smith was the owner of this little coffee shop. She'd arrived with the most delicious hot chocolate about two months after I had. Since then my visits to this shop had become more frequent and we'd developed a closer bond. I now stopped by to this place at least once a day, and sometimes came more.

"You finished your hot chocolate?" Emma asked, gesturing to my empty cup.

"Yeah." I handed it to her. "Delicious as always."

She smiled. I loved her smile; it was warm and sweet like sugar. "I'll make you another one, no need to pay."

I gasped. "Emma, I can't -"

"Don't worry, Delaney, you come in here so often." Emma smiled and glanced back at Jane. "And would you like anything, Jane? Tea, coffee?"

"A cappuccino, thanks," Jane piped.

"Understood. Your order will be here shortly."

Emma bustled back to the counter to make our orders. Jane turned to me and shook her head slightly with a wry grin on her lips. "You two must be really close if she gives you hot chocolates for free."

"Yeah." I smiled fondly. "We are."

My life had changed the minute I set foot in New Mexico. I'd met some lovely people and had been involved in some of the most amazing events. Life here was a far cry from the life I'd led in New York, and I loved it here more than I ever had back there.

I couldn't see my life changing too drastically any time soon.

The day had passed quickly. After Jane and I had finished our orders, and Darcy had returned from her shopping trip with chocolate in hand, we headed back to our observatory to make our final preparations for tonight. Erik had been there and, with his help, we were soon ready and loaded our van with all the equipment we needed.

Now, hours later, we were in the vast expanse of desert in New Mexico. A light wind blew, playing with the small strands of my hair that had escaped its ponytail. I pushed my glasses further up my nose and stayed huddled with Jane and Erik. Darcy sat in the driver's seat should anything happen.

I glanced back at Erik and smiled. Even if we might not have seen each other for years, he still had greeted me warmly when I had returned from Emma's. He'd greeted me with a smile and a joke, just like he always used to when I was fifteen.

He really was like a second father to me.

Now, the three of us stood through the opening hatch of our van, gazing up at the stars. By the calculations Jane and I had done, the aurora should be happening, according to my watch, right now. I bit my lip as the sky remained resolutely dark and ink-black.

Jane gritted her teeth and looked down at the device in her hand, which she activated. I peered over the side, watching the red lights flicker to life. Red numbers danced across the screen. My gaze turned to the sky. It looked... normal; it was just an endless black expansion, with a few pinpricks of light. It looked nothing like what we had studied in our previous outings.

I glanced across at Jane. Our gazes held for a moment. Jane's face was tight, and I knew we both had the same fear. What if nothing happened tonight? What if we had miscalculated? Had we dragged Erik out of here for nothing?

Sure enough, Erik had pressed his lips into a thin line, a dubious expression on his face. "Wait for it," Jane muttered quickly, trying to reassure him.

From her position in the driver's seat, Darcy turned around. "Can I turn on the radio?" she asked.

"No," Jane snapped. I bit my lip and raised my gaze once more to look at the dark sky._What is going on?_

"Jane, Delaney, you can't keep doing this." Erik's voice was gentle, but also very pointed.

_Erik's giving up. He doesn't think anything is going to happen_. My chest seized up. _He can't think that. It was so difficult convincing him that we were on to something - we can't lose him, not now!_

I opened my mouth to start talking, to try and convince Erik something _would_ happen, but Jane beat me to it.

"The last seventeen occurrences had been predictable to the _second_!" she stressed. She clambered back down into van, almost tripping along the way, and hastily reached out for the book we'd written so much of our research into. She began to frantically search through the data we'd recorded, painstakingly checking over all our data and calculations. I followed her and peered over her shoulder, my breaths slightly more shallow than usual. Erik stood behind us; I could feel the doubt radiating off him in waves.

"Jane, you're an astrophysicist, not some storm chaser!" Erik said.

"I'm telling you, there's a connection between these atmosphere disturbances and my research," Jane muttered. She turned back to her computer and flicked through the images we had on display. "Erik, I...Delaney and I wouldn't ask you to fly out here if we weren't absolutely sure."

"She's right, Erik," I put in softly. I nodded at the results we'd previously logged. "I'm sure about this data as well."

"Jane," Darcy spoke suddenly, "I think you'd want see this."

_Is something happening? What is it?_ My head snapped up, and I squinted through the gap between Jane's shoulder and the computer to see through the window. My breath hitched in my throat as I caught sight of a green blow coming from the heavens.

This wasn't what we had been expecting to see. And I couldn't even see _all_ of it.

"What _is_ that?" Jane breathed.

"I don't know," I murmured.

Without letting another second past, Jane scrambled up so she stood out of the roof. I followed, my foot almost slipping in my eagerness to get up.

My breath was taken away.

Lights shone in the sky above us in a round, semicircular shape, all coloured either a metallic blue or green. Rays shone down toward the earth, getting brighter than the second. Something swirled beneath the semicircular boundary, something which I couldn't identify.

The lights only continued to expand in size by the second, a golden hue starting to be added to the blue and green, the rays spiralling in a circular motion and reaching down toward the earth.

"I thought you said it was a subtle aurora!" Erik exclaimed, as we watched whatever this was grow larger by the second.

"Go!" Jane yelled, her command directed at Darcy.

Without hesitation, Darcy slammed her foot on the accelerator and we were off, gaining speed with every passing second.

Jane ducked back into the van first. "Get closer," she ordered Darcy, clambering her way over to the passenger seat.

"Right. Good one," Darcy retorted, but nonetheless continued to drive. I hurriedly made my way down after Jane.

Once my head was below the roof's surface, I scampered over to the computer and stood behind it, watching the numbers flick across the screen. Jane got the exciting job - she got to sit in the passenger seat, the wind whipping her hair back as she recorded the entire thing. I, on the other hand, watched the statistics light up the screen.

The car was going at an insane speed as we raced to reach the spiralling light before it was too late. I could tell Erik was behind me, bracing himself against the car wall, his eyes too on the screen.

Occasionally my eyes flicked up to what the scene unfolding in front of us. The light must have had an energy; the sand blew up into a spiral of dust where the light hit it. It looked huge, and even threatening.

Darcy must have not liked the _threatening_ part, for her jerked on the week and sent us skidding away from the light.

"What are you _doing_?" Jane exclaimed.

"I am _not_ dying for six college credits!" Darcy snapped.

Jane lunged for the wheel, and with her one free hand tried to wrestle control for the steering wheel so we continued into the light.

I cried out as the car swerved severely left to right as a result of Jane and Darcy fighting for control. I gripped the table with so much strength that my knuckles turned white. The swirling light only continued to near us, appearing larger the closer we approached. Lightning now ignited do and surged through the spiralling green. My stomach churned as we sped toward it. What was it? Should we not head inside after all?

I didn't have time to open my mouth and yell my concerns when the haphazard driving of the car led us inside. My eyes widened and my heart hammered in my chest as we were surrounded by the light.

And then - here my heart skipped a beat - the silhouette of a man appeared before us.

"Jane! Darcy!" I screamed. "_Look out_!"

Their heads snapped up, but it was too late.

Our car barrelled through, without stopping, headed straight for the man. There was no way to stop it.

The car slammed into the man with a force large enough to kill him, and all I could do was scream.

-  
**here's the next chapter! what are your thoughts so far? i hoped you all enjoyed it, and are finding the rewritten version better than the first! if there's one blessing to having acidentally deleted, it's being able to go back and rewrite these chapters to a standard i'm happy wit**


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